Cincinnati Kelts Rugby Football Club

Cincinnati Kelts Rugby Football Club The Cincinnati Kelts Rugby Football Club consists of a Men's and Women's team and plays and practices in the Cincinnati area.

The Cincinnati Kelts consist of a men's and women's rugby team. The men's team competitive in Division III while the women compete in Division II. The Kelts play in such cities as Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington, among others. The teams play two seasons per year. The fall season runs from September through early November, while the spring season encompasses Mar

ch through early June. The Cincinnati Kelts men's team was formed in 1994 with the goal of organizing a rugby team for all types and levels of players. The club boasts an active roster of well over 50 players from many different countries and many different levels of ability. We have several players who have also been selected to compete at higher levels of play, such as the Midwest Select Side Team. The Kelts women’s team was originally a combined side of Cincinnati and Dayton formed in 2000, but as of the fall 2006, Cincinnati has been an independent team from Dayton and is part of the Cincinnati Kelts Rugby Football Club. Since its inception, the team has enjoyed many accomplishments, having several times won the league championships, Midwest Regional Championships and twice having placed second in the National Championships while a combined side, and seventh at the National Championship as the Kelts Women. Together, the men's and women's teams foster a sense of camaraderie, teamwork and friendship. We are very involved in the community, where we are closely associated with high school and university rugby programs. The purpose of this is to promote rugby in the greater Cincinnati area by developing youth programs which stress athletic development, mentoring and respect. Additionally, we are also committed to being involved in many philanthropic endeavors, such as participating in the Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In addition, we host the annual breast cancer fund raiser.

23 years and running - The Cincinnati Kelts Breast Cancer Fundraiser is back! Save the date for October 10th and join us...
09/05/2026

23 years and running - The Cincinnati Kelts Breast Cancer Fundraiser is back! Save the date for October 10th and join us at Highgrain Brentwood to help raise money for the UC Barrett Cancer Center and the Melissa “Fort” McLaughlin Scholarship Fund. Tickets for the cash prizes are now on sale. Reach out to your friendly neighborhood Kelt ([email protected]) for information or to donate a raffle basket.

Kelts on the run! Great run today with some great people! If you’re thinking about giving rugby a try come play with us....
09/05/2026

Kelts on the run! Great run today with some great people!

If you’re thinking about giving rugby a try come play with us. No experience needed! Practices are 6:30-8:30 on Tuesday’s and Thursdays at 4809 Kellogg Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45226.

With no games this weekend, the kelts have decided to do some team fitness with lunch at one of our sponsors Highgrain B...
09/04/2026

With no games this weekend, the kelts have decided to do some team fitness with lunch at one of our sponsors Highgrain Brewery - Brentwood to follow. Come join us! If you’ve been thinking about giving rugby a try this is a great opportunity to meet the team! We’d love to have you! Message us for more details or questions!

There will be a group ready to carpool at highgrain at 9:45am if you do not have a great parks pass, otherwise we will see you at Winton woods park at 10:00am. See you there!

A little reset this holiday weekend for the kelts. The Kelts women’s side made the tough decision to cancel our match th...
09/02/2026

A little reset this holiday weekend for the kelts.

The Kelts women’s side made the tough decision to cancel our match this weekend. Between holiday travel and a series of unfortunate injuries early in the season, our roster is a little light for our 9/5 match. We’re still here working hard and looking forward to the rest of the season. We’ll use this week to recover, regroup, and get ready to come back strong next week for our home match vs Dayton. While we may not be making the trip to Fairfield to take on the Wolfhounds, there’s still plenty of good rugby, and plenty of good things, ahead for this team. 💚💙❤️

A SUPER Saturday double header at Kellogg this past weekend saw both the Kelts Women and Men in action at home. The Kelt...
08/31/2026

A SUPER Saturday double header at Kellogg this past weekend saw both the Kelts Women and Men in action at home. The Kelts Women hosted Fort Wayne Womens Rugby , holding even through the first half with the score 21-14 favoring Fort Wayne. Unfortunately, after some key injuries that left the Kelts with no substitutions, Fort Wayne pulled away late to win by a final score 63-19. Players of the Match were Anna and Gemma. Up next for the Kelts Women is a trek into Butler County to take on Cincinnati Rugby Football Club on Labor Day!

The Kelts men took on familiar foe Louisville Rugby Football Club playing 80 minutes of back-and-forth bruising rugby essentially on the face of the Sun. Kelts men battled back from down 21 points to take the lead on an electric try and conversion in the final moments by scrum-half Mantis. Kelts men then hung on by the skin of their teeth to win 26-24 and start conference play 1-0. Kelts men have a bye for Labor Day and then travel to crosstown rivals Queen City Rugby on 9/12.

Many deserving nominees for Man of the Match on the men’s side, but the first belt of the fall was lifted by Mantis for his game sealing try and kicking masterclass (pictured left next to some old guy).

Tomorrow the women’s team takes on Fort Wayne in a sweltering hot match. Come out to the pitch and catch this double hea...
08/29/2026

Tomorrow the women’s team takes on Fort Wayne in a sweltering hot match. Come out to the pitch and catch this double header with the men’s team at 11 AM!! Let’s go Kelts!! ❤️💙💚

Extra extra! D3 men kick off their competitive fall season against familiar foes Louisville Rugby Football Club . Kickof...
08/28/2026

Extra extra! D3 men kick off their competitive fall season against familiar foes Louisville Rugby Football Club . Kickoff is at 1 PM at Kellogg Field following the conclusion of the Kelts Women’s match vs. Fort Wayne. Midwest Rugby called this the D3 game of the week! You won’t want to miss out on any of the action. Hopefully it won’t be a torrential downpour this time either!

In our home opener the Cincinnati Kelts women battled a tough and talented Circle City Tempest side in a hard-fought mat...
08/24/2026

In our home opener the Cincinnati Kelts women battled a tough and talented Circle City Tempest side in a hard-fought match that pushed us in every way. After a few injuries, we found ourselves down to just 13 players—but down didn’t mean out. Every player on that field stepped up. We fought for each other, adapted, kept pushing, and refused to give up until the final whistle. We learned a lot about ourselves in this match, and there are plenty of takeaways we’ll carry forward. Most importantly, we saw the grit, resilience, and heart that this team has. Games like this is where our new players find out what being a kelt really means. In the face of adversity, we don’t quit. We keep our heads high and pick each other up. The score wasn’t what we wanted but our kelts gave it all we had for 80 minutes of rugby. Brick by brick, this resilient kelts squad is rebuilding what generations of kelts women built before us. Now it’s our turn to carry that legacy forward, rebuild the culture, and leave it stronger than we found it.

We couldn’t be prouder of every player who put on the Kelts jersey Saturday. ❤️💙💚

The women’s team kicks off their season with a home match against Circle City Tempests ! Come watch the match and join t...
08/21/2026

The women’s team kicks off their season with a home match against Circle City Tempests ! Come watch the match and join the teams at Hap’s Irish Pub after. ❤️💚💙

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Cincinnati, OH
45226

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